Day Of Action For UMWA Strike At Warrior Met Coal, Inc.

Listen to this Post via Text-to-Speech Narration

by Rev. Kim Wood, Conference Minister

On April 1, 2021, the United Mine Workers of America began a strike from the Warrior Met Coal, Inc. mines. Warrior Met’s corporate offices are located in Brookwood, AL, with mines in the surrounding area. This strike is now coming up on 2 years.

Over the past few months, the Southeast Conference and the United Church of Christ National Setting have been working with the other faith leaders and organizations to provide care and support to the UMWA striking miners and their families and to bring an end to the strike. We have reached out to the Warrior Met Board of Directors and Executive Leadership requesting a meeting to facilitate resolution. And we have met with UMWA officials, miners, and family members for prayer and consultation about their needs as individuals and families have suffered the long road of the strike while awaiting just compensation and working conditions, which Warrior Met committed to when it purchased the company after it had declared bankruptcy.

The Warrior Met Board has refused to meet with us and indicates no interest in coming to terms with the miners. And so, the coalition of faith leaders, including the Alabama Poor People’s Campaign, Interreligious Network for Worker Solidarity (IN4WS), and the UCC, is asking for your help as we mobilize in support of the UMWA Warrior Met coal miners.

On Wednesday, February 1, 2023, we will come together, both on site and virtually, for a Day of Action. I am inviting you and your congregations to participate in this day, which will include:

On Site

  • 1 PM – meet at the United Church Center (which houses Pilgrim Congregational UCC and Covenant Community UCC), located at 2817 6th Avenue South in Birmingham for training for a call blitz to Warrior Met Board members and Executives.
  • 2 PM – make calls.
  • 3:30 – prepare to travel to the UMWA Rally for a press conference and prayer circle – most likely in Bessemer

Online

  • Attend Targeted Response Network (TRN) Training by visiting available link prior to call blitz.
  • 2 PM – make calls.
  • 4:30/5 PM – utilize social media to build awareness of strike, find media sources broadcasting the press conference and share with others

Prior to the Day of Action, beginning immediately, we are also inviting people to join a letter-writing campaign to Warrior Met Board Members and Executives. Information is included for the letter-writing campaign in the information below. You will also find a UMWA Faith Leader Bulletin insert/flier that you can send or give directly to congregants.

I hope that all of you will consider supporting this effort. We are quickly approaching February 1st. It would be wonderful if some or all of you could be present in person for the Day of Action, although I know your schedules are busy. Even if you can do a hybrid participation of the activities for that day in (call blitz remotely and press conference/prayer circle in person, or vice versa) or participate completely remotely, your presence will be helpful. We are particularly hopeful that we will have a good number of folks at the Rally to surround the workers and their families for prayer.

Please share this information with your church participants and your networks. It is our prayer that we can move the chain even a bit to rejuvenate negotiations and create a safe, healthy, and just work experience for the Warrior Met Miners and their families. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or thoughts. And thank you in advance for your help!

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